Hybrid Heart

A pop idol in near future Japan. Her every move controlled in the present and haunted by the past.

The stage is the surveillance society of near-future Tokyo. In order to become an idol, Rei has sacrificed her private life as she focuses on her solo activities. Haunted by guilt, the insidious manipulations of a controlling talent manager, and the corporate bioapps colonizing her body, Rei must find a way to reclaim her discarded anonymity and autonomy within a cyberpunk society where Vocaloids and V-singers flourish.

Part of the 2023 Neon Hemlock Novella Series